Gun ownership surged during the pandemic, but who has 'the right to bear arms'?

This episode originally aired on March 3rd, 2021

Gun sales remains sky high during the pandemic – and the largest increase in purchases came from African American communities. This hour, we talk to the president of a Black Gun Association in Connecticut about what he’s seeing locally. And we hear about how these larger gun-buying trends are playing out nationally.

Also, with increased gun violence in the U.S., what’s the disconnect between the Second Amendment rights Americans have in theory, and how they play out for African Americans?

Guests:

• Will Hampton – Chapter president of the Black Gun Owners Association Norwalk CT; owner of Gullah Warriors Gun Club
• Lakeidra Chavis – reporter for The Trace
• Margareth Etienne – Professor of Law, Associate Dean and the Nancy Snowden Research Scholar at the University of Illinois College of Law; Co-author of “How Second Amendment gun rights fall short for African Americans”

This episode was originally produced by Daniela Luna, and Anna Elizabeth. The rest of our team includes James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski. Our interns are Abe Levine, and Dylan Reyes.